Christian Life 1 - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

 I have no citations for my thesis on this post beyond my own experience.  I'm betting your experience parallels my own in this particular regard.

During our years in middle school - a period I like to dub The Days of the Killer Hormones - we learn much about sociology, almost exclusively through trial and error (mostly error).  One of the things I learned during this time is that love cannot be forced.  My eye for romance seemed to turn from one recipient to another with appalling speed, some more receptive than others.  Of course, in my pubescent mind, the more a love interest rejected my advances, the more intrigued I became by the pursuit.

Finally, at some point - I hope high school, but probably college - I came to realize that all this effort was in vain.  The more one tries to force love from another, the less likely one is to receive it.  Trying to obtain love from someone who doesn't already freely give it through force, bribery or coercion may win the day in that it may succeed in obtaining some sexual or social favors from the other, but there will also be a level of disrespect and/or resentment which, by its very presence, will belay the appearance of anything like true love.  The only way to truly love another is by freely choosing to do so.  The would-be recipient of this love, if there is to be any real love, must be willing to risk the possibility that his would-be lover may just as well choose to withhold their love as give it.

I believe that truth is Truth regardless the scale.  I believe that God knows this.  I believe that everything from the Big Bang to you reading these little ideas of mine has all led to this moment on purpose; that the universe exists because God loves people and God would love to be loved in return.  But God is smarter than a seventh-grader.  God knows that we cannot truly love God unless we are free to choose not to.

Are you aware of the concept called the Butterfly Effect?  Essentially, The Butterfly Effect states that a small, insignificant action can start a chain reaction and, at some point further down the timeline, have a profound effect on history.  I sometimes think about all the young ladies whom I attempted to woo during my pubescent years and what might have happened had any of them been more receptive to my awkward attempts.  With 50 years of hindsight now, I can say that it all worked out well for me, but what about for them?  Frankly, I can't even remember most of their names at this point, so I have no way to look them up and see how they've done.  I wish all of them well.

In all likelihood, these failed early attempts at romance came to nothing for either of us.  However, the laws of statistics allow for the possibility of profound repercussions.  For all I know, some action I committed in middle school led to some young lady meeting and dating X, marrying, developing a business relationship, and together, they are chiefly responsible for CO2 emissions in California!  Remote though it is, such a possibility exists.  Now, consider that remote possibility existing in 7.5 billion cases of people choosing the right or wrong lover in life.  A lot of chances for a lot of misery, it seems to me.

We all make that choice every day.  We may choose to devote our love to God, or ourselves.  We complain about God apparently not caring about the plight of humans, but I believe the problem you're seeing is just the opposite.  I think that God cares so much that he won't try to force you to love him; he allows you the choice.  And allows me and that guy and her and him and those people over there and...  I'm convinced that all those things we see and blame on God don't exist as a result of God's design or negligence.  I believe God deeply desires the best for each of us, but only up to the point at which our freedom of choice is at risk.  God will not - cannot - force love (and the subsequent obedience) from us.  And finally, for all our grousing about God's faithlessness, we, by our very choice to blame God for all this suffering, are proving that in our heart of hearts, we wouldn't really have it any other way.

Pax

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